Disclaimer: Since I'm not a RHr shipper, I'm not JK Rowling. Thus, HP is not mine, unfortunately.
A/N: Well, I got an email proposing me a challenge, and I found the idea fun to do, so here I am. Beware, though, this will involve lots of smut, and when I say lots, I mean it, lol. So, without further useless chatter, here it is!
Thanks to my beta Gingercat!
Depressed? No, Aroused!
Chapter Seven: Sardinia, Here We Come!
That night, Hermione added something to her luggage, something she and her mother had decided to keep from Harry and her father, to surprise them. Cathleen had found out that while they would be in Sardinia, there would be a ball at the hotel, and had helped Hermione choose the right attire.
The brunette couldn't help smiling as she remembered how much her mother had gushed over that dress and matching shoes. She was sure Harry would be speechless, and Hermione hoped she would be right.
Once she was done with that, she changed to her PJs and slipped into bed, thinking back to the wonderful afternoon she and Harry had. True, she wasn't usually so forward, but considering how long she had dreamed of being with Harry, she didn't find overly strange that she would get more bold once they were a couple.
Not that he seemed troubled about it.
With a smile on her lips, she finally went to sleep, imagining how wonderful the following days would be.
Harry, for his part, was lying in bed, thinking about that afternoon too. Who would have thought that Hermione could do such a hot striptease? Not him, that was for sure. And, a vibrator? That girl was kinky, and he suspected he was just about to find out just how erotic she could be.
And he was game. Whatever Hermione had in mind, he would be glad to try.
With a last chuckle, he turned on his side trying to fall asleep as they would be leaving early the next morning, thinking that Seamus and Dean would be hard pressed to beat his stories, if he was to tell them, which of course he would never do. He was much more gentlemanly than those two, and wouldn't boast about his sexual escapades, with Hermione nonetheless, to a dorm of horny teenagers.
--
The next morning, Cathleen woke up the two teenagers at seven o'clock in the morning. They had to have a quick breakfast and drive to the airport to catch their fly. After a cup of coffee, everyone helped Tom put their bags in the trunk of the X5, then Cathleen locked the front door, and they were off.
"Harry, have you ever flown on a airplane?" Tom asked as they were speeding along the highway.
"No, Tom. Only brooms for me till now" he joked. He had come to be much more comfortable around her parents since he had arrived there, and now he was easily joking and laughing with them as if they had known each other for years.
Harry guessed that was how a real family was, just like the Weasleys, but less crowded.
"Ah, well, then you might want to know that when it takes off, you might feel a slight pop in your ears as the pressure changes. It's perfectly normal, though, so don't worry about it, ok?" her dad instructed.
Harry simply nodded, enjoying the feeling of Hermione leaning on him, as he wrapped an arm around her. Cathleen noticed the gesture from the mirror and smiled warmly, meeting Harry's eyes. He grinned and put a finger on his lips to signal he wanted to be quiet. Hermione had just fallen asleep on him, snuggling even closer. He remembered when on the Express he had fallen asleep on her and guessed it was only fair that he let her sleep peacefully.
Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep too, leaning on the car door.
"They are so sweet together" Cathleen gushed once she knew they were both sleeping. Tom nodded, giving her a smile. He still hadn't gotten completely used to his baby having a boyfriend, but he could see they were good for each other, and that was making it easier for him to accept.
Once at the airport, the two adults woke the teenagers up, and the pair groggily followed Hermione's parent's inside.
Grabbing a cart, they loaded the bags on it, and started making their way to the check in counter. They had managed to get Harry a ticket, the plane wasn't really full, and with some luck they had managed to get a seat not too far from them for him.
Now it was only a matter of waiting for the boarding to start.
--
It was three and a half hours later that they landed at the Leonardo da Vinci airport in Rome. Harry had been fascinated by the sight of the sea so close to the airport, after all the small city near Rome where the airport was situated, Fiumicino, was just on the coast. Hermione launched into a lecture about Rome and its monuments, that sadly they didn't have time to go visit as their ferry to Cagliari was scheduled to leave in three hours. Luckily, it was a fast ferry so they would be at their hotel in time for dinner, hopefully.
Tom, having been to that airport before, lead them to retrieve their luggage and then to the office where they could rent a car. The trip to the harbour was short and a taxi would have been fine, but then they had to reach Villasimius from Cagliari, plus a car could be useful to have there in Sardinia, in case they wanted to go explore the island.
Harry quietly followed, awed to be included in what was a family trip.
Hermione affectionately squeezed his hand as they entered the Audi A4 they had rented. Tom checked the map to see where to go, and off they went, for a short ten minute trip to the harbour. Since it was lunch time, they bought some sandwiches to eat while waiting for the ferry to start boarding. Hermione was excitedly telling Harry everything about Sardinia, and how beautiful it was, with crystal clear water, and wonderful beaches.
"We can go for long walks there, I've read that walking and running in the sand is good to build up endurance" she said, with a meaningful glance to Harry. Just because they were on holiday, that didn't mean they should completely forget about the dangers that would await them once they got back to the Wizarding World.
Harry realized he still had to tell Hermione about the prophecy, and vowed he would during this trip. He didn't know when or how, but he just had to tell her.
--
The ferry ride was interesting for Harry, who had never been on one. He had never been to the sea shore at all, so he enjoyed watching the waves created by the ferry as it sped along the blue surface.
"It's nice, isn't it?" Hermione said as she joined him.
He nodded. "Thank you" he said then, turning toward her. "This is by far the best summer I've ever had" he added then, brushing a strand of hair out of her face, and resting his hand on her cheek, tenderly caressing the soft skin with his thumb.
As forward as she had been the day before, Hermione blushed at the intensity of his gaze, and at his affectionate gesture. "Anything for you, Harry" she murmured looking down. He gently pulled her chin up so that their eyes met again, and slowly leaned in, kissing her on the lips. At the moment, he didn't care if her parents saw them, he just needed to show her just how much he loved her, and so he poured all his feelings in that gentle, sweet kiss.
She must have understood, because a tear slipped down her cheek, a tear of joy for being with him like that, but also of sadness for his troubled past. Lacing her arms around his neck, she kissed him back just as eagerly.
From the other side of the ship, Cathleen watched the exchange and couldn't help smiling.
--
Once the ship arrived in Cagliari, they got off, and there they started following the directions to reach Villasimius. Harry kept looking out of the window, enjoying the scenery, while now and then joining in the conversation Hermione and her parents were having.
When they finally reached the hotel, they were handed the keys for their two rooms, and a person from the hotel helped them with their luggage.
The two rooms were on the opposite sides of a corridor, Harry noticed, which meant they wouldn't have to worry about her parents hearing them if things got a bit out of hand, so to say. Not that he planned that, but seeing how the previous afternoon had escalated from a innocent packing to a striptease with a vibrator and him jerking off to the show, one could never know.
Agreeing with tom and Cathleen that they would meet with them in the hotel reception in thirty minutes, the young couple started unpacking.
Hermione was careful to not let Harry spot her "secret dress" as she had come to think of it, but after all her boyfriend was busy with his own unpacking.
"You know, I think I'll go get a shower before heading to dinner" the raven haired boy said, and Hermione nodded, not looking at him as she was placing some shirts in a drawer.
When he came back to the room twenty minutes later, the brunette grinned at him.
"Did you get all wet and soapy, Potter?" she teased him. Harry raised his eyebrow at her. "Would you have liked to join me, Granger?" he teased back.
"Careful what you say, Harry. Don't give me ideas" she winked before entering the bathroom herself, leaving her bewildered boyfriend behind.
--
They had dinner in the hotel restaurant. During dinner, Hermione's parents asked if everything was ok with their room, if they were settled, then they suggested the four of them go to sleep early that night, as it had been a tiring day, so that they would be able to hit the beach early the next day.
"Well, that depends on your definition of early" Hermione joked while cutting a piece of her roasted squid.
Harry feigned to be shocked. "Are you saying Hermione Granger doesn't plan to be on the beach at six in the morning?" he said, and everyone at the table started laughing as she stuck her tongue out at him.
Anyway, they all followed Cathleen's advice, also because it truly had been a tiring day. So, once back in their room, Hermione and Harry barley had time to change into their PJs and slip inside the bed, the first time they would be sharing one, before falling asleep, holding each other close. No funny business that night for them, but there would be time for that later.
--
The next day, Harry and Hermione got to the beach at ten in the morning. They found her parents already there.
"Hi Mum, Dad" Hermione greeted them, and Cathleen looked up to smile at the pair. "Hi you two. Slept well?"
The two teen exchanged a look, remembering the wonderful feeling of waking up in each other's arms that morning. Then, both grinned.
"Never slept better" Harry said, squeezing Hermione's shoulder, causing her to giggle and look up warmly at him.
"Do I want to know what happened there?" Cathleen mock admonished them.
"Honestly, mum, we just slept in the same bed and woke up snuggling, it was a new sensation, and a very pleasurable one I might add, for us" her daughter said, huffing.
"I was just taking the mickey out of you, sweetheart" her mother smiled. "Well, if you two need us, you know where to find us. I wouldn't want to make you spend all day with us, so feel free to find yourself another spot on the beach if you want" she said, realizing the two teenagers might want to spend time alone, and not with the constant watching of parents.
Harry and Hermione exchanged a look, and then nodded. "We will see you later then?" Hermione asked.
"Sure, dear. Have fun!" her mother said, saying goodbye to them.
When they finally found a spot they liked, Hermione plopped down on the towel Harry had spread on the sand. He mock glared at her as that was for him, then he sighed and set another towel, where he sat down.
There was a cool breeze, so it didn't feel too hot, but Harry was lucky he had already developed somewhat of a tan at Hermione's house, otherwise he would have been terribly burnt by the end of the day.
"Harry, please, will you rub some sun lotion on my back?" Hermione asked, passing him a bottle. He put some on his hands, then started massaging her shoulders, then her back, untying her bikini top to be able to get to all of her skin. Finally, he brushed against the bottom of her bikini, resisting the urge to slip a hand under it and caress her lovely bum, which he had already come to love immensely.
Retying her bikini, Hermione then proceeded to rub some lotion on him too, marvelling at the hardness of his muscles. That sent a tingling right to her pussy, and suddenly she couldn't wait for that night to come.
After they were protected enough from being burnt by the sun, they relaxed, chatting about meaningless things, laughing, going for a swim now and then, or for a walk along the beach. Harry had to admit it was more tiring that walking normally, but building up some endurance couldn't do him any harm.
They had with them a couple bottles of water, but as it was, those didn't last them long enough. So, when they got thirsty again, Harry offered to go buy something at the bar.
Hermione told him they could go together, but Harry insisted she kept sunbathing and relaxing.
"I'll be right back" he said, winking at her, as he walked away toward the bar. When he got back, he tensed as he saw a bloke sitting on his towel, flirting with Hermione.
As he got closer, he saw that the stranger was doing all the chatting, while Hermione was clearly annoyed. That sent some relief through him.
Finally getting near them, he placed a coke near Hermione, and glared at the bulky man. "I guess you can leave now. She is clearly not enjoying your company" he said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. The other man looked at him derisively.
"And who the hell are you?" he asked, amused.
"I'm her boyfriend, so I'd suggest you run along" Harry bravely said.
"Well, kid, I guess she's understanding the difference between you and a real man" the rude person said, laughing, and Hermione looked up outraged. Harry rolled his eyes.
"I guess you won't go away until I hit you, will you?" the raven haired boy said, bored. That made the man laugh harder.
"You hit me? That's a joke, right?" and with that, he tried landing a punch on Harry's face, but the boy's Seeker reflexes made him roll away, and at the same time he landed a solid kick to the man's groin, leaving him howling in pain on the sand.
"I warned you" Harry smirked, while he and Hermione took their things and moved away to another spot on the beach.
"Thanks, Harry. I didn't really know how to get rid of him" she said, rolling her eyes. "He kept talking about how wonderful he was with women, I've never met anyone more conceited than him!"
"Not even Malfoy?" Harry joked. Hermione smiled.
"Ok, maybe Malfoy is worse than him, with that "Malfoy is might" crap he keeps spouting" she said, laughing. Harry chuckled.
"I never thought I'd hear you swearing, you know" he said, teasing her. She nudged him in the shoulder, before leaning on it, as they settled once more on the sand.
"Want to go for a swim?" he suggested, and she nodded, so they walked to the cool water, and dove in. They kept splashing each other, laughing like carefree teenagers, and Harry even managed to get her underwater, pulling her down by her legs.
To say she wasn't pleased would be an understatement.
Sputtering salt water, she glared at him, while he laughed heartily at her face. "You want war, Potter?" she menaced, and he gulped. He knew he was in trouble now.
Before long, their swim had escalated in a fight of pulling the other under, with them writhing in the water, trying to avoid the other's attempts for more than half a hour. Then, Harry noticed she was starting to shiver, so he suggested they head back to the beach to warm up a bit.
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